The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that Russia's elections in occupied territories are "illegal" and called on international allies not to recognize the results of any such contests.

The next presidential election in Russia is set to take place between March 15 and 17.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who launched an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago, is teed up to win another six-year term, surpassing Josef Stalin as the country's longest-installed leader.

Attempts to hold elections in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions — which are all partially controlled by Russia — as well as previously annexed Crimea, were further proof of Moscow's "continued flagrant disregard for international law norms and principles," the Foreign Ministry in Kyiv said.

"Forcing millions of Ukrainian citizens who live in temporarily occupied territories or who have been forcibly transferred to Russian Federation territory to participate in the so-called 'elections' is equally illegal," it added in a statement.

The Foreign Ministry urged Ukrainians living in the occupied territories to not participate in the elections.

While answering questions from reporters Thursday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said any attempt to organize Russian elections in occupied areas of Ukraine would be completely illegal, according to The Guardian.

Additionally, Ukrainska Pravda reported on Wednesday that the Kremlin estimates approximately 70% of Ukrainians in occupied territories will avoid voting in the Russian presidential elections this week.

According to the outlet, Moscow is waging a disinformation campaign in the occupied part of Ukraine's south to raise support for Russia among the residents there.

Roughly 60% of the residents in the occupied areas are taking a wait-and-see approach, Pravda reported, waiting for Ukrainian forces to recapture the territory.

The vast majority of the area's population opposes Russian control in the region and continues to avoid obtaining Russian identity documents, according to Pravda.

Information from Reuters was used in this report.

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